As Canada’s preeminent accounting and business designation, the Chartered Professional Accountant designation blends technical accounting competencies with essential business competencies like critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership. We’ve asked Taylor Hahn, Junior Accountant at Wolrige Mahon LLP and candidate enrolled in the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP), to discuss his studies, ambitions and career thus far.

In simple terms, what is a CPA?

CPAs are business professionals who undertake appropriate analysis, exercise good judgment, communicate effectively and act to protect the public interest.

How has CPA changed your life?

Being an immigrant myself, finding a sense of belonging to my adopted country has always been my top priority. I now have the opportunity to provide valuable services to my community which gives me a sense of attachment to Canada that runs deeper than linguistic, ethnic or regional identity.

What intrigues you most about being a Chartered Professional Accountant?

CPAs have the opportunity to see how different businesses operate. Learning about their management strategies and how they utilize their assets to generate income is the most interesting part of my job.

What made you believe that becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant was the right path for you?

I’m a strong believer that it’s always better to surround yourself with the best people so that they will challenge you and you will grow. My quest to find, and be surrounded by, smart people is what brought me to Wolrige Mahon LLP to become a Chartered Professional Accountant.

What’s the one perception people have about CPA that you’d like to change?

“I can’t be an accountant because I’m not good at math”. Basic math skills are required but accountancy also requires careful and logical thinking and strong analytical skills. Accounting is the language of business. It’s not about addition or subtraction but about understanding what the numbers represent and using them to support the important decisions you make.

What is a typical CPA day?

There is no typical day as a CPA. If you work in public practice your schedule will likely change every 3-4 weeks. You will be assigned to a different company in a different industry with a difference group of people. It’s the diversity and unexpectedness that makes our job both interesting and challenging.

Do you any advice for young professionals who are looking for a better career?

Find a mentor. In any field,having a professional mentorcan help individualsdevelop and advance theircareers. I was fortunateto have found my mentorthrough my firm’s mentorshipprogram. She hasprovided strong supportand guidance to make theattainment of my careergoals quicker, easier andmore enjoyable.

To learn more about the CPA designation, register for an upcoming info session at goCPAbc.ca.